Night had descended upon the day by the time Francis arrived outside his apartment door. Despite it being autumn, there was an unsettling chill in the air that angrily nipped at the nape of Francis' next through his checked scarf and sent shudders through his body. With frozen fingers, the French man delved into one of his jacket pocket in search for a key, the binders and sheets under his arms sliding from their place. After successfully retrieving what he needed, his belongings were quickly saved from him dropping them a second time today, and he jabbed the key into the lock. He unlocked it with ease before pushing open the door and his turquoise eyes widened in alarm.
"Gilbert?! Antonio?! W-Why the hell are you both in my apartment?!" Francis yelled in mostly surprise as he glared at his two best friends in frustration. The duo were situated on Francis' plush beige sofa, watching Francis' wide screen television whilst eating a selection of food from Francis' fridge and cupboards. They stared at their friend with straight faces and empty eyes, Gilbert bringing his obnoxious crunching of crisps to a halt, before swallowing incredibly loudly and filled the awkward silence.
"Hey, Francis…" The intruders beamed with innocence simultaneously and bared their teeth into angelic smiles. Francis shot them a malevolent stare as he slammed the door shut and sullenly folded his arms, causing the beams on their faces to fade.
"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Francis inquired with a bitter tone. Gilbert chucked an empty food packet onto the coffee table near his feet before exhaling as he sunk into the couch.
"We used the key you gave me to your apartment a few months ago and the two of us thought it would be nice for us to pay you a visit." Gilbert smirked mischievously, crossing one leg over the other. Francis let out a huff and shook his head as he removed his jacket and scarf, then cast them over the back of the arm chair he was about to sit in.
"You were only supposed to be borrowing that you prick…" Francis snapped back and his eye brows furrowed inwards. Gilbert wafted his hand in dismissal as he pursed his pale lips together.
"You certainly don't need more than one key for one house…"
Francis chewed on the inside of his cheek to refrain from saying anything horrible, his face burning.
"I would rather not have people breaking into my home without my permission, watching my TV and eating my food!" The white haired man pouted and diverted his eyes to Antonio, who pressed his lips together as he felt that it was best to hold his tongue.
"Don't see it as an intrusion Francis…more so we decided to visit unexpectedly…without your consent….when you weren't around…Yeah…definitely a friendly visit." As the crimson eyed man was satisfied with what he'd said, Francis mouth gapped open in astonishment at how facetious Gilbert was being that day. The French man simply shut his lips, before trudging around the arm chair and then collapsing into the soft comforter. After having a strenuous day at work, and also encountering in a beautiful stranger, Francis was absolutely exhausted. He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation and tightly scrunched his eyes shut from the feeling of a migraine coming along.
"Hey Francis…What's the problem? You're not usually this touchy…" Antonio inquired in concern, although there was a little edge to his voice. "You look pissed off…"
"I-It's nothing-I'm too tired to have a deep conversation Antonio...!" Francis grumbled and hid his trembling lips behind one of his hands as his frustrated expression and flustered face now became noticeable. From the Francis' dismissive response, Gilbert harshly threw one of the intricately patterned cushions at the bearded man adjacent to him. The pillow struck Francis with a mellow thud and the French man cast him a puzzled glare.
"C'mon! We're your best friends! We just wanna know what's bothering you!" Gilbert moaned insistently; he would query Francis persistently until he received some sort of genuine answer. Francis raised his eyes and softened his stare. Bringing the cushion to his chest, he cuddled it and buried his mouth into the snug fabric. With a roll of his eyes, Francis exhaled heavily before sitting up in his seat.
"Today at the station, I think that I might have fallen in love with a young man…" The long, blonde haired man spoke incoherently and his cheeks burned a hot fuschia colour at the thought of the guy he knew nothing about. Then there was a pause. The Spanish brunette rolled the sleeves of his slate coloured jumper down before he bent forward slightly.
"What was his name?"
"I don't know his name, nor does he know mine…" Francis replied calmly and grasped gently at his golden locks. At this, Antonio sighed in sorrow and gradually eased back against the sofa.
"What an inconvenience."
"What a load of drabble, more like!" Gilbert snorted thoughtlessly, wafting his hand at the topic. Antonio punched Gilbert firmly in the arm, earning a yelp from the other.
"Gilbert! Don't be so insensitive!" Antonio scolded him as if he was a child, shooting him a stern look. Gilbert soothed his 'abused' bicep whilst sticking out his bottom lip moodily.
"Are you both fucking serious about this love at first sight shit?! Franny, you bumped into someone at the station, and exchanged mild conversation for about a minute! And you think you might be in love? Dude, you don't even know his bloody name!" The Prussian inattentively spat at them, before his face creased into a frown. In a defensive manner, Francis pointed his index finger directly at him with annoyance but didn't allow his temper to get the better of him.
"It was an extremely deep moment Gilbert! I have never, ever experienced the feeling what I felt today!" The French man retorted angrily, his pupils shuddering. And soon, he relaxed back into the arm chair once again, inhaling and exhaling leisurely before his tone became soft once again.
"It was something special. I felt something click, I think we both did. I recall our hands touching and my fingers brushing over his. Then I met his grass green gaze and we just stared…Stared back at each other. I recall falling into a daze, but I was too overcome by his beauty to fully seep into a trance. He had snow white skin, and bright pink cheeks that glowed. Although his hair was messy, it was undoubtedly adorable. His lips were perfectly shaped and the voice that protruded past those lips was sweet. For a man, he had quite a feminine figure, and it made him appear delicate. I wanted to say…so much, but I completely lost courage and…and I allowed him to slip through my fingers…" His voice gradually changed into a light sob and once again Francis shielded his face with his hand.
It was rare that Francis' cried. And it was exceptionally rare that Francis cried in front of other people. Normally, it took a lot to upset him and reduce him to tears. But then again, the littlest things caused him more pain then people realised.
After composing himself, Francis rubbed his blood shot eyes and apologised for his sudden outburst. Now feeling completely inconsiderate from seeing one of his best friends break down in tears, Gilbert shuffled in his place.
"Sorry Francis. I didn't know that this was such a big deal for you…" He croaked with sympathy and chewed on his bottom lip. Francis nodded and smiled weakly, immediately accepting the latter's apology.
"When do you think you'll next see him?" Antonio asked, cocking his brow. And at this, Francis shrugged.
"I honestly didn't even consider the chance that we'd meet again. I didn't get any sort of information from him. No name. No date of birth or family or anything. The only thing I was…75% sure of is that he lives in Stratford, as that was the train he left for…But apart from that…I am uncertain."
"It's a tough situation for sure…"Antonio muttered, finding the whole concept incredibly confusing. "But if you really believe that this is true love, then you should go and find him…" Francis' smile widened and he imagined seeing the strangers enchanting smile once again.
"I agree totally." Gilbert stated with a smirk. "Although, I presume it'll be pretty difficult to meet him exactly at the same time and place. Plus, the lack of information you have doesn't help too much..." Francis placed a finger to his lips whilst humming in thought. Once he mumbled an abstract sounding sentence under his breath, the other two men said his name in chorus.
"Francis?"
"Maybe he'll revisit the city centre next Saturday…" Francis said tonelessly. "If so, I will consider arriving at the station and waiting at the correct platform before the first train from Stratford arrives. Then, I will watch and wait for the train to either arrive or depart. He might not get on or off any of those trains next weekend. But I am willing to wait all day, until the final train departs in the evening…" With nods of agreement, Gilbert and Antonio beamed at Francis, wishing him the best of luck. Gilbert had one final question.
"It really is a long shot. What happens if you don't see each other next week?"
Francis, yet again, smiled brightly before the hugged the same pillow close to his body and gazed at the ceiling.
"Then I'll revisit the station every Saturday, until we meet again…"